Texting while driving penalties to increase significantly

[hrmjustin]

GARDEN CITY - As of today, a major increase in the penalties for texting while driving will take place as New York enacts the toughest regulations in the nation for distracted driving.

A first-time offense will now cost drivers five points on their license. A $230 fine ($150 plus mandatory $80 surcharge) will be added for texting or any use of an electronic device while driving. Probationary and junior license holders will lose their driving privileges for 60 days if convicted of the offense.

Studies have shown the extreme danger of texting while driving. A Federal Highway Administration analysis of truckers showed that drivers are 23 times more likely to crash while texting compared to when they are not. Research has shown that texting engages the driver visually, manually and cognitively, creating a trifecta of deadly distractions. Studies show that a texting driver takes their eyes off the road for about five seconds to read or send a text. At highway speeds, that’s long enough to cover the length of a football field.

In disturbing results from a survey conducted by AAA earlier this year, 61 percent of young drivers age 16-24 admitted to texting while driving.

Read more at http://www.empirestatenews.net/News/20130726-2.html

[Uben]

1. You likely won't get many responses.....

.....I posted something similar to this before and.....crickets! I think increasing fines is a good thing, but we need more. I think violators should be required to install a "signal jammer" that would jam all cell phone signals entering the car for a period of time.
Some may find this overly burdening, but, they are likely to be the ones violating the laws.

Never text while driving. No, you're not better at it than everyone else, and it still distracts you from driving.

Cell phones account for

1. 1,600,000 accidents per year – National Safety Council
2. 330,000 injuries per year – Harvard Center for Risk Analysis Study
3. 11 teen deaths EVERY DAY – Ins. Institute for Hwy Safety Fatality Facts
4. Nearly 25% of ALL car accidents

Turn it off or don't answer before pulling over to a safe location.

Please.

[hrmjustin]

2. I don't drive but I never understood how you could text and drive at the same time.

Just does not seem possible. But people do it and get themselves and others killed. I am glad they passed the law.